Tempo-governor for self-playing musical instruments.



L. B. DOMAN.

TEMPO GOVERNOR FOR SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 20. 1914. 6

1,160,054, PatentedNov. 9, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 06 INVENTOR. I 6, I W

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ail-Mm PLANOORAPM co. WASHINGTON. D. c.

L. B. DOMAN.

TEMPO GOVERNOR FOR SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20, 1914- 1,160,054, Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WW Oz 6wj g M ATTORNEY.

L. B.'DOMAN. TEMPO GOVERNOR FOR SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20. I9I4.

1,160,054. Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHE ET 3.

2 l llfliililllll gmo m4 ATTORNEY.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH COnWASHINGTONrD. C.

llNITED STATES PATENT @FFlCh LE'WIS B. DOMAN, OF DE W'ITT, NEW

YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMPHIQN EIANO PLAYER CQMLANY, 6F SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CGEPORATION OF NEVI YORK.

TEMPO-GOVERNOR FOR SELF-PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed March 20, 1914.

To ((55 whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS B. DOMAN, of De Witt, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in TempoGcvernor-s for Self-Playing Musical Instruments, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, el and exact description.

ns invention relates to certain improvements in tempo-regulating apparatus capable of being set to a predetermined position for establishing the normal time or tempo and of being adjusted from such posi ticn to effect greater or less variations above or below such normal time or tempo, and one of -ie primary objects is to provide a simple, practical and elcient means for auical restoring the regulating means nil position after having been vol- 4 shifted therefrom. neiobject is to make the tempo-reni ns a part of the said device so that the .nemeans may be employed for setting the regulator to a predetermined position. adjusting it to and from such position for varying the tempo and automatically storing it to such predetermined posit. n when released. 7

I. further object is to yieldingly hold the later in its predetermined position for en tempo by means of a pneumatic .ipping device controlled by suitable means within or upon the manual by which the pe-regulator is adjusted so that the op- 2y conveniently set, release or adregulator with the same hand upon the manual.

Ether objects and uses will be brought t in tl following description. ln the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view my improved tempo-re ulating apparatus. Fig. 2 is an enlarged, longitudinal sectional view of the automatic restoring means including the compression spring and its tubular container forming parts of the setting and adjusting means for the regulator showing also the pneumatic gripping e with its gripping javvs in section. Fig. an enlarged longitudinal sectional view are pneumatic gripping device shown in 1. Fig. i is an enlarged sectional view or the Wind-chest containing the primary pneumatic valves for controlling the operation of the pneumatic gripping device. Fig.

Specification of Letters Batent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

Serial No. 225,951.

is a longitudinal sectional view, partly broken away, of the tubular shaft and its op erating manual or lever for setting or shift the tempo-regulator and indicator, showing also a portion of the tube connecting said shaft to the primary pneumatic for centre ling the pneumatic gripping device. 6 is a sectional view similar to Fig. -l of a modified form of valve for controlling the gripping pneumatic. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of tempocontrolling lever having a normally closed atmosphere port. Fig. 8. is a side elevation, partly in section, of a port-ion of the same lever showing the normally closed port and valve therefor.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood, 1 have SllOWll a tempo-governing pneumatic '1 as mounted upon a combined Wind-chest and valve-case 2 in which is located a valve similar to tha set forth in my Patents Nos. 1,097,706, May 96, 191%; Reissue Batent No. 13,764, July 1 1914, and No. 1,118,189, Nov. 1%, 191%, said valve being connected by a sectional rod 3 to a crank arm -4- on a rock shaft the latter being journaled in suitable bearings 6 and provided with a hand lever or manual by which it may be rocked to vary the position of the temporegulating valve. The'pneuinatic governor 1 and valve chest 2 are also similar to that set forth in my pending applications referred to and are connected by conduits 1 and 2- to a suitable wind-inducing device and pneumatic motor action (not shown). the sectional rods -3- being clamped together to operate in unison by means of a clamp 3- whereby the v ve may be properly adjusted to the 'tlilOW of the crank arm l. The rock shaft -5 is provided with an additional crank arm -8 connected by a sectional rod -9 to the lower end of an upright lever 10-, which, in tur is fulcrumed 0r pivoted at 11 to a suitable support and has its upper end. connected by a sectional rod to a bar 1-1-- carrying an indicator 15, the latter being movable along a tempo scale 16 as the bar is shifted back and forth by the rocking of the shaft in reverse directions.

The means thus far described serves merely to shift the tempo-regulating valve being also located within the tube -17.

the valve may be determined, but I prefer to employ the same mechanism for operating a setting and restoring device wherebythe valve and its indicator may be set to a predetermined position for playing a musical selection in a predetermined or normal tempo and at the-same time, permitting those parts'to be adjusted in opposite directions from their normal positions, said setting and restoring device con sisting, inthis instance of a relatively small tube 'l7' adapted'to be moved endwise in the direction of movement of the indicator bar -14l but normally held against such endwise movement by and between a pair of gripping jaws 18- and 19 of a pneumatic gripping device 20, the ends of the tube being turned inwardly to form annular shoulders or :abutments 21- for limiting the outward movement of a pair of sleeves or collars 22- whichare slidablej within the opposite ends of the tube and are? normally. held compression spring or coil 23, the latter and has its opposite ends bearing against the inner faces of the sleeves or collars 22 as shown more clearly in Fig. 2.

The straight rod 24 is passed entirely through the center of the tube and also? through the centers of the collars 22- and spring-23- so as to extend some distance beyond the opposite ends of the tube and is provided with relatively fixed collars 25- playing in the openings in the opp-' site ends of the tube and abut against the outer ends of the sleeves 22, one end of the rod being connected to the indicator bar 14:, whilethe opposite end is movable in a suitable guide 26 shown more clearly in Fig. 1. The sections of each of the rods -9 and 13 are clamped in fixed relation by suitable clamps 9 and 13 which permit proper adjustmentbe- :7 tween the lever andindioator bar and also between the lever and crank arm 8 I so that the-indicator bar may be accurately adjusted to the scale 16. tocorrespond with theposition of the tempo-regulating valve in thevalve' case '-2.

AsHpreviously stated, the coil spring Q3 in the tube 17 is normally under compression and is sufiiciently stiif to move the tube 17+ endwise by the shifting of the indicator bar 1lthrough the medium of the rock shaft 5-, links 9- and 13, and lever -10., while on he other hand, the pneumatic-gripping d .vice normally closes the jaws 18 and 19, with suilicient pressure or friction to hold the tube 17' against endwise movement when the indicator bar 14+ is moved. in either direction by the same operating means against the action of said spring in Y a manner {presently described. The .pneuagainst the abutments by a 23, said pneumatic-gripping device be-' ing also adapted to be placed in communication with a suitable wind-inducing device, such as the usual pedal-operated pump or bellows (not shown 'butcommonly employed in this class of instruments) and for this purpose I have shown a combined wind-chest and valve case-27+ having a suction pipe 28 leading from a suitable wind-chest ,or wind-inducing device (not shown but in which a partial vacuum is normally maintained), the pipe 28- communicating 'with a suction chamber-29- in the valve case 27 as shown more clearly. in Fig. 4. ijWlthmthis valve case is located a primary pneumatic 0' communicating with a ]pipe 31 which leads from the valvecase rock shaft being provided with an air pas- {sage 5 centrally therethrough from end to end and, therefore, communicates with the pipe '31 and also communicates with an air passage extending upwardly to the upper end thereof so that the upper end of the passage 7 constitutesan air port normally open to atmosphere to allow the atmospheric air to pass through the hollow shaft 5 and." tube 3l into the primary pneumatic 0 for distending the latter. The valve-case or windchest 27 is provided with a port 32 normally open to atmosphere and communicating with a branch port .33 to which'is connected a pipe 34 leading into the pneumatic 20- so that the latter is also normally distended under atmospheric pressure. V

A pair of puppet valves 35- and 36- are mounted respectively upon a valve stem 37- so as to seat respectively against the inner and outer ends of the port -32 which also communicates with the exhaust chamber 29-, the valve stem -37- nor mally resting upon the diaphragm of the primary pneumatic'30- so as to normally close the valve 35-' and open the valve 36-, thereby'normally cutting ofl communication between the exhaust chamber 29 and pneumatic gripping device 20 and at the same time opening communication between said pneumatic. gripping device and atmosphere. It is now clear that'when' the atmosphere port 7' o the rear end of the rock shaft .5,.said

is open, the primary pneumatic 20. is

the exhaust chamber 29 and pneumaticgripping device thus permitting said gripping device to grip and hold the tube through the medium of its Jaws 18- tltl l9 aided by the spring 2l, whereupon the lever 7 may reel in one direction or the other to rock the shaft -5- and thereby shi t the positions of the tempo-regulating valve in the windchest aand move the indicator -l5- along the scale'-l6 against the action of the coil spring n8. That is, when the indicatorbar -llis moved in one direction, as for example to the right, Fig. 2, the collar at the ett hand end oi? the tube will be drawn against the adjacent end or the collar 22, thereby rorcing latter inwardly in the same direction agar the action 01'? the spring oodily move- G'CilOD by engagement o 7 i c with the collar 22- abutting against the shoulder -21 on the corresponding end of the tube 17, but as soon as the pressure upon the lever is released, the tempo-regulating va ve indicator will be restored to t eir normal positions by the retraction of the spring @n the other hand if he lever -'T --is operated to shift the o so-r dating valve in the case 2 and indicator bar l iin the reverse di ection so as to move said bar to the left, the collar at the right hand end of the tube will be forced into said tube nst the adjacent sleeve -2i2, thereby ving said sleeve in the same direction against the action of the spring 23-, but as soon as the pressure upon the lever -7 released, said spring will restore the shifted parts to their normal positions, thereby maintaining throughout the playing of a musical selection a more uni form tempo than would le possible it the ten'ipo-regulating valve and inner; finger were not restored automatically. If it is desired to set the tempo-regulating valve and index nger in a different position, it is simply I] neces ary to place the linger over the upper o the atmosphere port by which i o oration. atmospheric air is cut oil from entering the primary pneumatic which is of its jaws 18 and 19 is accomplished innne'diately upon the closing of the air port 7 in tl e lev r 7 whereupon id lever may be rocked freely in either election, thereby efiecting a COlTGSPOIlCllIlg movement of the tempo-regulating valve in the case 2-, the indicator 1T and tube -1T until the valve and indicator are set to the desired position for a predetermined tempo after which the finger may witherawn from the governing port t c c restoration of the pneumatic -z0 to its normal gripping position upon the tube l'? to hold the latter icir normal positions and at the same time permitting them to be shifted from such. agamst the action of the spring in the manner previously described the assurance that the spring will aureturn these parts to such noren when the lever 7 is reln some instances, itmay be desired to have the indicator and its actuating mechanism normally unlocked or free to remai in any of its adj usted positions, under which c nditions, I may employ the tal structure shown in o, in which a valve --3'(3- is adaj itec to play between the atmosphere p :5 w and an exhaust port Qtybut normally closing the atmosphere port and opening the exhaust port between the gripwhen the primary pneumatic 80- normaliy ope ed to atmosphere through the tubes -3l, hollow shaft 5 and apertured leve -7-.

In Figs, 7 and S, I have shown a convenient form of tempo controlling lever l-0 adapted to be used in connection with ither of the valve mechanisms shown in l igs. 1, l or 6, said lever being pivoted at ;l-l.- to a suitable support A.- to swing horizontally and is provided with an atmosphere port l2- connected by a conduit -l3- to the flexible pipe 31- but normally closed by a valve l-. which forms a part of an extension or finger piece the latter being pivoted at to the main body of the lever and is yieldingly held in its closed position by a s Ing -4-7 as shown more clearly in Figs. 7 and 8, thereby closlng the port -'l2 and normally cutting off the communication between the prnn'aty pneumatic 3C* and the atn'xosph'ere so that; when used in con connected by a nection with the valve mechanism shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the gripping device will be normally released from gripping engagement with the tube 17 thus leaving the tube indicator free to move ineither direc On the other hand, if the air port tion.

Ve2 is connected by its conduit w usual crank arms i and 8, connected r spectively by links 3 and 9 to the tempo-controlling valve and to the lever foroperating the indicator. It is now clear that the controlling levers 7 and l0. may be used in connection with either ofthe valve mechanisms shown ,in Fi 4 or in Fi 6 accordin to the neces sity or desirability of having the slidable V indicator-operating member 17 locked or normally free, For example: hen the lever -7 is used in connection with the valve mechanism shown in Fig. i. the sliding member 17' will be normally locked to permit the springs therein to yieldingly hold the indicator in a predetermined position and, at'the same time,'permitting it to be shifted against the action of said springs, but, when the same controlling lever is used in connection with the valve mechanism shown in Fig. 6, the sliding member 7 is normally unlocked but may be voluntarily locked in any position by simply closing the port inthe lever 7 by means of the finger. In a reverse manner, when the lever l0 is employed in connection with the valve mechanism shown in Fig. 4, the eiiect is the same as closing the port in the lever 7 and, therefore, normally releases the locking means to permit free movement of the sliding member 17 and indicator and, at the same time, enables the operator to normally look said sliding member and indicator by simply depressing the free end of the finger-piece against the action.

of the spring -l7 to open the port l2'- to the atmosphere, When the lever. .40 is used in connection with the valvemechanism shown in Fig. 6, the primary pneumatic 30 will be normally deflated there- 7 by causing the valve 36' to close the valve 29 and open connection between the atmosphei'e port 32'and gripplng pneumatic to cause the latter to normally lock the sliding member 17 and'indicator in a predetermined position so that the effect is substantially the same as in the use of the movement.

lever -7 in connection with the valve mechanism The operation of my be readily understood upon reference to the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing, and while i have shown and described speci'ric forms of apparatus for carrying out in the invention, it is evident that other forms of devices may be employed without departing from the spirit of this invention, and, therefore, I do not limit mysell to the precise construction shown and described. 7

What I claim is:

1. in a tempo-governing device, a tempoindicator adjustable to difierent positions, and means for yieldingly holding said in dicator in any position of adjustment, including a spring, an adjustable support therefor, and manually controlled pneumatic means for clamping the support in any of its adjusted positions, said spring being free to yield relatively to its support when the latter is clamped.

2. In a tempo-governingdevice, the com bination with a tempo-governing valve adjustable to difierent positions, of means for yieldingly holding the valve in any of its adjusted positions including a spring, a sliding support therefor, and-manually'con trolled pneumatic means for clamping the invention will now support in anyposition of adjustment, said spring being free to yield relatively to its support when the latter is held against 3. In a tempo-governing device, the combination with a tempo-indicator ad ustable to different positions, or" means for yieldingly holding said indicator in any position of adjustment including a spring, a tubular container for the spring adjustable to different positions, and means operable at will for holding the container'in any of its adjusted positions, said spring being free to yield relatively to its container,

4. In a tempo-governing device, the comill) bination with a tempo-indicator shiftable to difi'erent positions, of'means for yieldingly holding the indicator in any position of adjustment comprising a spring, connections between the spring and indicator, a tubular container for the spring adjustable endwise to different. positions, and manually controlled pneumatic means for holding the tubular container in any position of adjustment, the portion of the spring connected to the indicator being free to yield relatively to the container. r V

j 5. A tempo-governing .device having means for setting it to give a predetermined tempo, and separate means for yieldingly and adjustably holding it in such position, including a pneumatic gripping device op-' erable at will. i

6. A tempogovernmg device having means to vary the tempo at Will, said means comprising a coil spring, movable means holding the spring under compression, connected plunger-s acting in reverse directions on opposite ends of the spring, a pneumatic gripping device normally holding said movable means against movement, and additional pneumatic means operable at Will for operating said gripping device to release it from said movable means.

7. In a tempo-governing device, a tempoindicator, a coil spring, connections between the indicator and opposite ends of the spring, a movable device for holding the spring under com ression, a pneumatic gripping device normally holding said movable device, and additional pneumatic means operable at will for releasing the gripping device from its holding position.

8. In a tempo-governing device, a tempoindicator, a coil spring, connections between the indicator and opposite ends of the spring to compress the latter in the direction of its aXis as the indicator is moved in reverse directions, and means including a gripping device operable at will for holding the spring against endwise movement in the di rection of the axis of the coil.

9. In a tempo-regulating device for selfplaying musical instruments, means adjustable at will to different positions to vary the tempo, and pneumatic means associated with the first named means for locking and releasing said I'irst named means in and from any of its adjusted positions.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of March, 1914-.

LEWIS B. DOB/IAN. lVitnesses:

CLAUDE L. HAMLIN, MARGARET M. BROWN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C. 

